Dear Freshman,
Hello, how are you? Don’t answer dear, I’m talking.
Well, now that all the dust and glitter has settled and you’re all officially Emersonians, I’m here with some advice from you, girl to girl. Or boy, because you should know the gender line is fashionably slim here at Emerson College. The topic of this particular gem of wisdom is priorities and over committing. This is a problem at Emerson where it’s not the classes that infringe on your schedule (and sanity), but the endless pressure to join as many organizations as possible and be Mrs. Extra Curricular.
My advice to you now, while you’re still trying things out and signing up for your first clubs and orgs: don’t buy into the hype to be an uber-joiner. Most of the talk you hear about people being committed to everything (the kind of talk that twists your gut and makes you think, “Omg! I’m not doing enough!”) is exaggerated markedly. And even if you meet someone who seems to be doing EVERYTHING, I can bet you that everything they spend their time on has a specific focus and job-training goal.
That’s the thing with signing up for everything – you just get pulled in too many directions. And holding on to clubs after their interest has passed your due date is only hurting you and the extra time you might have to be developing your own projects or focusing on what really matters to you. I spent the first two years here terrified to leave a club because of offending its members or seeming disloyal, even when it held no use or interest to me anymore. What I learned: just leave! An org is not a person (sorry, Mitt Romney), it will not be offended if you leave. Rather, it’s made up of other students who also carry on school, jobs and other club obligations. They get it. No one is making a mental note not to hire you when they’re the president of Warner Brothers because you stopped coming to Tuesday night meetings. Pick what interests you, drop the rest, and move on. Your schedule will thank you.
Don’t know what you’re interested in yet? Totally fine! Attending meetings in a couple different areas is a great way to figure out what you like to do as well as make connections in other fields. The important thing is that when you’ve found what you love, mentally make those activities your priority, so when homework piles up or you just have to finish a project, you know what you can back off of. The worst thing you can do is everything. It will only decrease the quality and satisfaction you have with the work you do and take a serious hit to your sanity. Learning is supposed to be fun. These organizations are here to teach us and benefit us. They are supplementary to our lives; don’t let them take over. Learn how to say “no.” If you can’t fully commit to the obligation they’re asking of you, don’t try to squeeze it in. Not showing up for meetings is one thing, but bailing on an org assignment because you were too busy to do everything you agreed to will absolutely make you enemies and give you a bad reputation. Only agree to what you are sure you can completely get done (while factoring in sleeping).
Overall my message is: relax. They might not get all the big press, but you should know that the majority of Emerson students are a casual member of 1-2 clubs and spend the rest of their time focused on personal projects, homework, jobs, their friends, etc. It’s easy to get pulled into the hype and let it scare you and make you feel like you’ve fallen behind before you’ve even started. But I promise it doesn’t have to be as complicated as (what I like to call The Frazzled Few) try to make it. Pick what you like, attend a few meetings, make commitments to what you enjoy and want to learn, and show up. Rinse and repeat. Simple.
Oh, and have fun kid.
Your lovely guide,
Miss Kelly